SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As expected, a former state assemblyman has won a special election in a GOP-leaning Senate district that covers a wide swath of rural Northern California.

Republican Jim Nielsen of Gerber nearly won the 4th Senate District seat outright during November's special primary but fell just shy of a simple majority. He split votes with another GOP candidate.

As of this morning, the Secretary of State's office showed Nielsen with 66 percent of the vote.

Nielsen's victory comes as Republicans carry a 12-point registration advantage in the district, which includes all or parts of 12 counties stretching from areas north of Sacramento to the Oregon border.

The seat opened last year when Republican Doug La Malfa, who had two years remaining in his term, successfully pursued a congressional seat.